Amazon said on Saturday two people were killed when part of a distribution warehouse collapsed in severe weather in Baltimore.

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Severe storms with strong winds tore through much of Maryland on Friday evening.

Amazon’s senior vice-president of operations, Dave Clark, said in a tweet on Saturday there were two fatalities at the site, on the south-east side of the city.

Baltimore fire officials did not immediately respond to phone or email messages.

Amazon spokeswoman Rachael Lighty said the men worked for an outside company. No one else was injured, she said.

“First responders remain onsite assessing the damage,” Lighty wrote in an email. “The safety of our employees and contractors is our top priority and at this time the building remains closed.”

News reports cited city fire officials as saying one man was found under debris on Friday night and later pronounced dead, while the second man’s body was recovered early on Saturday. Officials said a 50ft wall at the warehouse collapsed.

Fire chief Roman Clark spoke to the Baltimore Sun. Images taken from outside the facility showed a badly damaged truck and a knocked-over light pole, the Sun reported.

The National Weather Service had warned of thunderstorms in the area, with some producing gusty winds and heavy rain.